Behind Apartment 19
by remitrom
Summary: Brittana AU. Santana has been through a lot over the past few years. She now lives in New York with Rachel and her daughter. Can her new neighbour handle everything? Especially when Santana's past resurfaces once more?
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is the first time I'm publishing anything! Go easy on me okay?**

**Brittana AU. Santana has been through a lot over the past few years. She now lived in New York with Rachel and her daughter. Can her new neighbour handle everything? Especially when Santana's past resurfaces once more?**

Chapter One- **PROLOGUE**- December 2013

Santana carefully adjusted the child on her shoulder so she was able to reach into her bag and take out her keys, in order to open the front door. She wondered if Rachel was already home to let her in but was unsure if she would stay late after class to suck up to all of her teachers. She sighed as she noticed it already said 4pm on her watch.

"You're home late today" She heard Rachel call from over in the kitchen. It was true, Santana's day working in the studio normally finished at 3 and it was only a 15 minute walk back home.

"Yeah, I had to go to the store to get more diapers" She shouted back to her as she laid the small child on the couch and stared at her while she giggled. The little girl was beyond beautiful. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back into pigtails and Santana noticed her pink dress was all creased from her wriggling about. Rachel walked back into the living room and sat next to Santana, clearly admiring her daughter just as much as she was.

"She's growing up so fast" Rachel said, making Santana sigh once more and nod her head.

"She's only 28 months, Berry" She replied but she knew that time had gone by so fast and everything had changed pretty quickly in her life; literally everything. She had a family now, new friendships, and a new job. Well, it was barely a job; more like an apprenticeship. She couldn't quite afford to go to college once her parents kicked her out but she managed to get some kind of work.

Oh god, Work. Santana was supposed to enjoy it but she didn't. All she did was watch other people work in the studios while she sat with her daughter and took notes, dying to be recording in a booth herself.

She sighed for what seemed like the billionth time that day when she remembered she had to quickly get ready for her second job if she wanted to be on time today, unlike the rest of the week. The little girl looked up at her mom and Santana couldn't help herself smiling as all her bad thoughts left her head. It was all worth it just to see her happy, she reminded herself.

"Why don't you just say she's 2? Why say 28 months? It makes no sense" Rachel began and Santana laughed a little, even if she wasn't in the mood to. The truth was, Santana didn't know why she did anything nowadays; she sort of just copied the other mothers and hoped for the best.

"Mia must not be feeling well, she was extra moody today" She told Rachel while picking up her daughter and placing her on her knee. "She wouldn't let me work for more than 15 minutes without crying" Rachel continued to coo over Santana's little girl, as if she still couldn't believe she had one, and brushed her fingers over the cheeks of the toddler.

"You still haven't found anyone to look after her during the day then?" Rachel asked causing Santana to shake her head. She really didn't like bringing Mia with her to work but she had nowhere else to go. It's not that she didn't find many suitable child minders to look after her; it's just that she didn't trust them. Not with the most precious thing she had in her life. Thinking about it, Santana couldn't remember if she'd even spent more than 2 days away from her since she was born. Whether that was a healthy thing to do or not, she didn't care- she needed to be with her. She kept Santana sane.

They'd only lived in New York for four months and it was already Christmas. Neither Santana nor Rachel had any money to buy presents for their friends, and only a small amount to buy something for Mia but they all hopefully understood. Santana didn't even know what there was to buy for a toddler that was so cheap; maybe just a doll.

She tried her best as a mother. But she was so young and so inexperienced with no money and no hope yet she had this child who replied on her for everything. She couldn't even rely on herself sometimes.

She had just turned 19 and already had a two year old; society continued to tell her that something was clearly wrong with that but she tried her best to ignore what people said. She tried her best to ignore people asking stupid questions like 'oh, is she your sister?' or the look of disgust and shock when she replied 'no, she's my daughter'.

"I would look after her, even Kurt would, but you know we have class until 3 each day" Rachel told Santana and it brought her back from her daze because what she said was certainly true. Rachel was really good with Mia and Kurt was improving, despite his disdain for anything messy. They were the only two people trusted enough with her, yet they couldn't be there all the time. Santana kind of wished her daughter had grandparents that loved her, or even loved their own daughter, but she didn't and that was just heart breaking.

"Have you heard from your parents?" Rachel asked and Santana shook her head with a sad smile etched on her face. "I haven't heard from them in two years, Berry, why would they call me now?" She asked the shorter brunette who just shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing the answer herself.

"I don't know" She began. "We've just moved to another stare, surely they'd want to say goodbye to you both"

"They know I have a daughter and yet they've made no efforts to see her or apologise to me since before she was even born so I'm not sure why they'd start now" Santana replied in a monotone voice as if it was something Rachel asked her often.

She remembered the last time she saw her parents though.

_**Santana was walking home from school as slowly as possible, hoping to draw out the news she was about to drop onto her parents as soon as she arrived there. Today had been so incredibly complicated. It was easily the worst day of her life.**_

_**As she rounded the corner, onto her street, her stomach turned at the mere thought of their reactions. Before she had any chance to get her key out and open the door, Mrs Lopez was stood there- tears evident on her cheeks.**_

_**Did they know? What was happening? Why was she already crying?**_

_**Questions ran through Santana's head, however as she walked into the living room, everything seemed a little clearer. Behind her father was a blonde girl, clutching her stomach in the same way the Latina had been doing all day.**_

_**Quinn.**_

"_**Care to explain what your **_**friend **_**just told us, Mija" Mr Lopez's voice boomed through the room and echoed around in Santana's already cloudy head, making her flinch slightly. Sure, he shouted at her all the time but never like this; never with this much disappointment laced within it.**_

_**What had Quinn told them? The secret that only **_**she **_**knew? Or the secret that now the whole school knew?**_

_**Either way, this was not going to be good.**_

"_**Wh-what did she tell you?" Santana's small voice whispered as her mother came from next to the door to stand with her husband. Quinn had a smirk on her face yet tears in her eyes, darkening the green they usually were. This was going against all she believed in, her conscience was telling her that it was wrong but the blonde only wanted revenge. She didn't want to destroy her friend's life like this. But it was too late to be undone.**_

_**Without saying a word, Santana's father traced his eyes down to his only daughter's stomach and a small sob escaped from the mouth of the sixteen year old. They knew. And they hated her. Before she knew it, Santana's legs gave way and she sank to the ground. But nobody came to help her, not even her **_**best friend. **_**Not that they could call each other that anymore, she'd ruined Quinn's life and so it was only fair that she ruined hers back.**_

"_**She- ugh- she also showed us this" Santana heard her mother's voice rattle through her ears, disgust clear in the way she spoke. She looked up from her curled position and saw a picture of herself on Quinn's phone. She wasn't alone in this picture, however; she had her lips locked and arms wrapped around someone.**_

_**A girl.**_

"_**Who is she?" The deep voice interrupted Santana's thoughts and for a second she thought she was dreaming; this was clearly one of her ever present nightmares. She could tell her father was too ashamed to raise his voice even further than he had done. **_

_**Santana shrugged her shoulders because she didn't actually know the girl's name, nor did she remember that Quinn had taken a picture of the two of them at a party. She'd trusted her with a secret and that trust had been abused in the worst way possible.**_

_**Santana knew she deserved it. She'd done much worse to Quinn and everybody- now including her parents- knew it. They knew she was gay and they knew she was a slut- just like people at school told her.**_

"_**Get out" was the last thing Santana heard before she stood up and ran out of the house, hoping her legs were strong enough to carry her somewhere far away. She was only sixteen yet she knew she deserved everything she got.**_

Rachel wiped away the tears that were falling down Santana's cheeks and brought her back to the present. She wasn't her usual bubbly self; she looked at the taller girl with sad eyes, clearly knowing what was replaying through her head. She'd been there to comfort Santana in the middle of the night when the nightmares got so bad that she'd have to hold her down, and stop her from accidentally hurting Mia.

"I'm just gonna call in sick for work, I doubt the diner will miss me too much" Santana let out a strained laugh, knowing it wasn't really something to laugh about but she was desperate to change the mood. Mia reached her hands out and placed them on her mother's face which made her feel like crying all over again, but for a completely different reason. Her touch alone could ease Santana and it made her feel more relaxed than ever. She did feel terrible for crying so much in front of her though; surely she'd been scarred enough.

"I'll do it for you, why don't you put Mia down for a nap while I get some wine, eh?" Rachel said and Santana smiled, genuinely.

"Cheers Berry, you're the best" She replied whilst standing up and carrying her daughter into their bedroom. They had to share a room but Santana didn't really mind all that much- she wasn't any trouble at night anymore. Sure, when Mia was only a few months old and they lived at Rachel's house back in Ohio, she was terrible and the teenagers would take it in turns to get up and stop her from crying. Santana wasn't really sure where she'd be right now if it wasn't for Rachel. She'd given them both a home when nobody else did, she'd given them friendship and more importantly, she'd given Santana a bit of hope when all she could do was sit in her room and cry about having nobody who loved her. Rachel often had to remind her that _she _loved her and that soon she'd have a baby who would love her more than anything in the world. Santana wouldn't ever tell her, but the feeling was mutual.

Santana's room in the apartment was a little bigger than Rachel's, only because there were two people living in it and it was only fair. Also, she'd called dibs on it as soon as they found the place together. In the past few months, Santana had tried to make the room more comfortable by adding a double bed, a crib for Mia, some toys and a wall full of mirrors but nothing made her like sleeping in there alone. Despite being only four feet away from her daughter, Santana liked it when she climbed out of the crib and got into bed with her. In fact, she craved it. Mia's cuddles were the only thing that helped her sleep.

Santana kissed the little girl's head and laid her in her crib, smiling sweetly as Mia leaned up and kissed her mother's nose.

"Sleep tight, baby" She whispered into her daughter's ear whilst stroking her fine baby hairs.

Once out of the room, Santana noticed that Rachel had already rang her work and had set two wine glasses down on the coffee table, on coasters of course. "Red or white?" She asked and the taller girl shrugged. "Either is fine"

Rachel brought over the red because it was already open from the previous night and it was clear that she didn't want to open a fresh bottle just for the sake of it. To be honest, Santana wasn't sure why she even asked her in the first place.

"When's Finn coming down?" She asked the brunette who's face instantly lit up; Santana used to find it creepy but it was kind of cute nowadays. She'd never tell Rachel that either.

"It's Friday today which means he'll be here on Sunday!" She answered causing a smile to grace Santana's face as she remembered that Rachel had been crossing off days on the calendar and writing things like '4 more sleeps to go' on the mirror in the bathroom, _every_ morning. She'd been waiting for a while to see Finn, even though technically the two weren't even back together yet. Everyone could tell it was something they both wanted, even if they were yet to admit it to themselves.

"Will he be staying here?" Santana asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow causing a normally composed and calm Rachel to get all flustered.

"I- er- if that's ok with you, I mean he doesn't have to, I'm sure Kurt would let him stay with him downstairs if it's not-" Rachel began, her cheeks getting redder by the second.

"Calm down, he can stay here" Santana reassured her causing a loud giggle to escape both girls' mouths.

"Speaking of Finn, how's the Glee club?" Santana asked nonchalantly even though this was the first time she'd spoken of Ohio in a long, long time. Rachel did her best to ignore her strange demeanour and continued with the conversation as if it were normal, only pausing for a few seconds.

"It's doing well, apparently. Blaine's coming down for Christmas too and-" A knock at the door interrupted Rachel and both girls sighed. They rarely had a chance to talk to each other like this what with school for the brunette and the studio for Santana. Then there was the spotlight diner or taking Mia to the park or going to see her therapist- they literally didn't get a break.

Santana got up off the sofa and answered the door. It was their neighbour, Mr Tom. Neither girl knew his last name but they'd never asked him so they guessed that was the reason why. Everyone in the apartment building called him Mr Tom so they'd never thought to question it. He was an old man, very friendly and clearly going a bit crazy but he kept everyone thoroughly entertained. He'd been kind of like a father to both Rachel and Santana since they'd moved to New York almost four months ago- helping them move in, telling them what's what and how to get to places. Rachel missed her dads. Clearly a lot more than Santana missed her own father. The brunette constantly complained about not seeing them in such a long time when in fact it was merely two weeks. That seemed easy to Santana- she hadn't spoken to hers since the day she was kicked out but she often wondered how they were getting on without her.

"Hey Mr Tom" Both Rachel and Santana said in sync, laughing slightly afterwards.

"Hello there girls, I've just come to say goodbye" He said and their faces soon filled with concern.

"What's going on?" Santana asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Oh, nothing serious, I'm just moving out so I thought I'd come and tell you girls first before anyone else knows" The teenagers let out a breath and leant in to hug the old man.

"When are you going?" Rachel asked and Mr Tom paused for a minute to think.

"The day after tomorrow; the wife and I are heading to Portugal" he said and Santana looked impressed. She wished she could have enough money to go on simple holidays, never mind moving to an entire different continent. She could barely afford her half of the rent and was sick of asking Rachel for help with it.

"Aw, we're gonna miss you Mr Tom" she said to him and he just shook his head. "I'm sure you'll love your new neighbours just as much as me"

As they walked back into the apartment, Santana didn't understand why she was crying again.

"Sweetie, are you ok?" Rachel asked whilst wrapping her arms around the waist of her friend. Santana didn't nod, nor did she shake her head- she just let her tears flow. She rarely cried but it seemed like recently it was all she could do. She cried in the morning when Mia wouldn't get dressed properly. She cried in the studio when the little girl wouldn't stop screaming. She cried when she got home and thought about her parents. And she was crying now. What was wrong with her?

"Come on, sit down" Santana was ushered back to the sofa and placed her head on the smaller girl's shoulder once more. "I don't know why I feel like I need their approval" she whispered, unsure why she was even saying this. Rachel didn't reply, she just let Santana talk- knowing that she needed to vent her feelings for the first time in ages.

"I mean, are they more annoyed at me for being gay? Or that I got pregnant? I'm not a slut though because I know who the father is, that's one of the reasons why Quinn hates me" The Latina began and she really didn't know where this was all coming from because she hadn't spoken of Quinn or what had happened between the two of them almost three years ago.

"Sure, I messed up big time but that doesn't mean everyone should hate me. I haven't even spoken to Quinn since I got pregnant so maybe she doesn't actually hate me anymore. I mean maybe we've both grown up? I've grown up since having Mia so maybe she did too considering the same thing happened to her." Santana pondered.

"Did you know I got a text from Puck last week?" she asked Rachel who sat up straight and looked shocked, with wide eyes.

"No, what did it say?" She asked. Santana took out her phone and handed it to Rachel.

_Hey San, I was just wondering if you needed any money for Mia. Sorry about everything._

"That's it? That's all it says? After over two years?" The smaller brunette ranted causing Santana to calm her down and nod her head.

"I wonder how Beth is" she asked after a few minutes of tense silence, not to anyone in particular because she knew that Rachel couldn't give her all the answers she craved.

"Wow, our lives are so complicated, I hope our new neighbours can handle all our crazy" Rachel laughed as she said it because they both sincerely hoped it was true. They needed more friends. Friends that accepted them and could handle everything they'd been through.

Santana couldn't wait.

**I'd love some reviews! Yes? Or No?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter Two- THREE YEARS LATER- End of August 2016**

The girls had lived in New York for almost three years and they'd had enough neighbours to complete a police line-up, some of them even having been in one. Most of them Santana couldn't really remember and didn't wish to, to be honest. They'd ranged from a young couple with a tiny baby who wouldn't stop crying at 3am, to a middle aged man with a tattoo on his face, who kept hitting on both her and Rachel whenever they crossed paths. It was safe to say, when he decided to move out, everyone was delighted however slightly nervous at the prospect of someone even worse moving into the apartment opposite.

Mia didn't get along with any of them and she didn't hide that fact from anyone; Santana had occasionally found her yelling at them or kicking their shins. It made her rather proud.

Santana's morning ritual didn't start off as planned as, instead of being woken by an alarm, she felt a tiny figure curl up onto her stomach and kiss her softly on the cheek. She liked this more than the alarm. Instead of opening her eyes, Santana wrapped her arms around her daughter and inhaled deeply- they'd love to stay like this all morning but today was a big day.

"Happy birthday, baby" Santana muttered into Mia's hair and kissed her tenderly on the head. She heard her giggle slightly and then it suddenly hit her- her daughter was five years old. It had been a whole sixty months since she'd given birth to her little girl. 260 weeks. 1826 days.

And she'd done the majority of it on her own, besides Rachel.

"Happy birthday mommy" Mia replied making Santana giggle with her this time. "It's not _my_ birthday silly, it's yours" She told the small child as she looked up into her mother's sleep deprived eyes and held her hands on either side of her tan cheeks. They held their gaze for a few precious moments and Mia's eyes sparkled like Santana's used to before everything had changed. She was innocent and so naïve to the world. What Santana would do to have that shine back.

She never regretted having Mia, not once. Sure, things were pretty messed up for a while but it genuinely made her smile every time she remembered she'd made something so incredibly perfect.

"What're we doing today?" Mia asked quietly, with her eyebrows raised. Santana sighed and sat up in bed, pulling her daughter up onto her chest so she was more comfortable. Man, she was getting big. And heavy.

After struggling for a moment, Santana looked deep into her little girl's eyes and smiled. "Well, baby, it's the first day of your preschool" she whispered into Mia's ear, who merely groaned and yawned at the same time in response.

"I know you'd rather go to work with mommy but it's not my fault, it's the law, honey. It's only a half day though so you'll be home in no time! Why don't you draw me a nice picture and we'll hang it up in our room!" Santana said in the hopes of making her more excited.

Mia didn't say anything, she just curled up further into her mom's side and held her as tight as she could for a few seconds before she was picked up and carried into the kitchen.

"Happy Birthday Miss Mia" The two girls heard Rachel sing as they entered the room.

"How old are you again?" The short brunette questioned, biting her lip to hold back a grin.

"FIVE" Mia grinned back, clearly seeing right through Rachel. "A whole hand" she added, holding up her own hand to show everyone what she meant.

Santana quickly gave Mia some breakfast and carried her back to their room to get her dressed. "Do you want your present now, or later?" She asked her daughter as she jumped in her mother's arms and hugged her even tighter. "I guess I didn't need to ask, did I?"

Mia shook her head and climbed up onto the bed which she shared with Santana more often than not. The Latina had given up caring what the mothers thought of her, or what the parenting books told her, a long time ago. Sure, she'd relied on them for the first few years but now they seemed pointless. Santana enjoyed her daughter's cuddles at night and no one could convince her otherwise.

Mia grabbed the small box from her mom's hands and stared at it for a while. "What is it?" she asked, shaking the box a little.

"Don't shake it sweetie, just open it!" Santana told her and the little girl didn't need telling twice as she dived right into it, ripping the paper straight off and leaving it on the floor, which really needed a good clean. Santana couldn't really find the time for such things anymore.

"THE UNICORN" Mia yelled with glee and leaped into the arms of Santana. Her obsession with unicorns had grown immensely over the recent months, ever since Santana had agreed to watch a stupid cartoon with her on TV. All she'd asked for were unicorn toys, unicorn DVDs, even a unicorn itself. Santana didn't want to ruin her daughter's life even more by telling her that unicorns didn't exist, so she just let her be, hoping the phase would be over soon.

Work hadn't been great lately but Santana tried her best- writing songs for people who came to the studio and silently wishing she could trade places with them for a few hours. She still hadn't had a chance to sing herself but she hoped her time would come sooner rather than later. Whilst her studio work declined, Santana noticed that Rachel was getting busier and busier; what with is being her senior year at NYADA. She tried to help the brunette out every now and again in the hopes that she would be able to pay her back for everything she'd ever done, but most of the time Santana would just get in the way of her practising. Rachel was already great, she didn't need disturbing.

"It's just the one I wanted, mommy" Mia stood in front of her mother, already dressed, gripping her new present as if she never wanted to put it down. Of course Santana knew that that wouldn't be the case as, every time she got something new, she'd play with it nonstop for a week before forgetting she ever had it and moving on to something else.

"Do you like my outfit? It matched the unicorn!" Mia said, showing Santana her mint green dress and pink headband. The young woman wondered how long she had been daydreaming for. She did it often and didn't realise it most of the time.

"You ready for school now, baby?" Santana asked once she'd got dressed into her work clothes and everyone had cleaned their teeth.

"I guess" Mia began "Can I take unicorn with me?" her big eyes lit up with hope and Santana didn't have the heart to tell her no. "Sure, now come on!"

"Bye Rachel!" Mia sang happily as they skipped out of the door, one hand in her mother's and the other wrapped around her new toy.

It was a short walk from the apartment to the preschool where Mia was going to. Sure, technically it wasn't the law that she had to go to school right now, considering she'd only just turned five, but Santana wanted her to meet some friends of her own. Also, she'd probably get more work done in the studio if she didn't have to look after a child _and_ write at the same time.

Santana gripped her daughter's tiny hand tightly as they approached the gates together. They were quite early therefore not many people were already there but neither of them minded- Santana really didn't feel like socialising with anyone at the moment. All the mothers were about 15 years older than her and that was intimidating as hell.

"Have a wonderful day, sweetie" Santana bent down so she was at Mia's level and kissed her nose gently. Her heart was beating so fast and she felt like she wanted to cry because this was her first day and this was the first time she'd be returning home alone. She had to get used to it.

Mia didn't say anything; she just hugged her mom quickly and ran to follow the other children, the soft breeze blowing her bangs out of her face.

Walking back through the busy streets of New York at 8 in the morning wasn't ideal, especially when Santana had a sad feeling deep in her stomach and a pounding in her head. It was horrible having to turn around and leave Mia because it was her birthday and Santana knew she'd rather be at home making cookies or watching Disney movies.

For the remaining few minutes of the journey, Santana placed her hands in her coat pockets and walked quicker, hoping it would distract her from the painfully obvious loneliness that was starting to arrive. Santana entered the apartment building without raising her head or glancing up and the sound of something falling down the stairs was what interrupted her thoughts. She rolled her eyes and hoped it wasn't her new neighbour.

"Oh sorry, my bad" Santana heard a voice coming from up the first flight of stairs that slowly got closer. Raising her head, she saw a young blonde pick up the box that had fallen down and landed at her feet.

"I'm not very good at this moving in thing" The blonde said but Santana was too busy thinking about her daughter to even care.

"No problem" She muttered back, miserably, before walking up to her own apartment with her head down and her mind elsewhere. She wondered where that came from because normally she would have yelled or told her where to go. But she didn't.

As she climbed to the third floor, Santana saw that the apartment door opposite hers was wide open with furniture all over the place. She tried to stifle a laugh when she saw a bed frame with unicorn stickers all over it as she knew Mia would want one too.

As Santana turned around, she heard the girl again. "I guess you're my new neighbour" she stated and Santana just sighed. She better not be a nutcase like the others.

"What was that?" The neighbour asked but Santana shook her head and extended her hand.

"Santana" the Latina confirmed and her new neighbour looked directly into her eyes. Normally this would have made her super uncomfortable but Santana looked back into hers as she said "Brittany" and shook her hand.

She seemed friendly enough so at least there was that.

Santana could hear Brittany cough causing her cheeks to heat up a little when she realised that she'd been staring at her new neighbour for a bit too long. She couldn't help it. She was wearing leather shorts that were _so _short, Santana literally couldn't tear her eyes away. Her knee high socks clashed with her rainbow shirt but for some reason it worked on this girl. And her eyes; they were just extraordinary.

"So, whose is the unicorn bed?" Santana asked to distract Brittany away from her face which she figured was going slightly red. The blonde didn't comment on it though which made her very grateful.

"Oh, it's mine!" She said enthusiastically and at first Santana thought she was joking but her face was totally serious so she tried her best to hold back a giggle. That's too adorable.

"Oh, I figured you were living with someone else" Santana said.

Maybe she had a sister. Or a daughter.

Santana shook her head because Brittany didn't look that much older than herself so it was unlikely she had a daughter too. She wondered if she should tell her neighbour that _she _had a daughter but decided against it for now, people didn't normally take it that well.

Santana remembered when she called her parents to tell them she'd just had Mia. _That _didn't go well at all.

_**An almost seventeen year old Santana laid her head back on the chrome hospital bed and sighed whilst looked next to her bed and seeing the most precious thing in the world. Her baby had only been allowed to stay in her room recently because she was finally a healthy weight for being born so premature. The past three weeks had been hell.**_

_**She stared at her daughter for a while, a smile slowly creeping across her face. Santana wanted to cry but scream with joy at the same time. On one hand, she had no idea how she was going to handle being a mother with no job and no parents. But on the other hand, she had the most beautiful baby girl and that thought alone kept her bad thoughts at bay.**_

_**Like her parents.**_

_**Santana hadn't spoken to them since they'd found out she was pregnant; they hadn't even called to check that everything was okay, like normal parents would. Sometimes she wondered if they even cared anymore or if they'd completely disowned her because of everything that had happened. Santana shook that thought out of her head; why should **_**she **_**even care? She had a new family. She didn't need anyone else.**_

_**It was much easier to tell herself that but not so simple to believe it.**_

_**Without thinking it through properly, Santana picked up her cell phone off the table next to her and dialled their number before hovering her finger over the 'call' button. Should she? Shouldn't she? Was she looking for their approval? Because deep down she knew they weren't going to give that to her. Was she looking for sympathy? That wasn't going to happen. She wasn't entirely sure. She just wanted them to realise that everything was real and that she had a daughter now.**_

_**Santana pressed call and it rang for a few times before someone picked up.**_

_**It was her mom.**_

"_**Hello" she heard her mother say and suddenly all the words in her head had left and she couldn't find any more.**_

"_**Er, hi" she managed to force out. She didn't think her mom could recognise her voice which was good because she'd probably just hang up.**_

"_**I've had the baby" Santana quickly said and waited for a reply or any reaction at all really. It went quiet but she was still there, that was a good start.**_

"_**So?" She heard her mom reply and it broke Santana's heart all over again. She thought it had hurt when they kicked her out but this was like pouring salt in the wound.**_

"_**She's called Mia" Santana told her and hung up before her mother had a chance to do it herself or say anything else that would make it worse. She just about had enough energy to place the phone back and then she curled up into a ball, tears staining the hospital bed sheets and tainting all her happy memories.**_

Wow, Santana hadn't realised how long she'd dazed out before Brittany tells her that she _is _in fact moving in with someone.

"Yeah, me and my sister are going to live here" The blonde said and Santana didn't know what to say back as her head was filled with memories of her parents.

"So, er, why'd you move here?" The shorter girl asked. Santana had realised whilst she was staring that Brittany was at least three inches taller than her, it was a nice change considering she was used to Rachel's company.

Brittany smiled which was a relief because Santana hadn't spoken in a few minutes and she thought maybe she'd think she was strange and refuse to move in.

"Oh, well it's kinda sad really. My parents err- they- well, they passed away recently and we needed a new start" Brittany told Santana who was suddenly overcome with the need to hug the other girl tightly. It must have been the maternal instincts within her that were normally reserved for her daughter.

"That sucks, I'm sorry" Santana said but mentally scolded herself because that wasn't very sympathetic of her.

"It's fine really, I guess I've come to terms with it" the blonde whispered, giving her neighbour a sad smile which Brittany wished she would never see again because it broke her heart and she had no idea why.

"Yeah, so we moved here because I can't deal with all the responsibility of the house and all their belongings. I hate responsibility. I know that's terrible to say, but my older brother understands"

Brittany hated responsibility, that's _great. _Santana wondered how she'd react if she'd told her about Mia.

Not today.

"I missed my parents to much, so I moved out here" Brittany said and Santana wanted to cry right there and then because the taller girl's face looked so innocent and child-like and it was horrible to witness her sadness. As she walked into her apartment, Santana wanted to cry for a completely different reason and it worried her because these thoughts hadn't entered her mind in years.

She missed her parents too.

_**Santana ran and ran and ran and couldn't believe that Quinn had told them all of her secrets. Not just the one that the whole school knew, but the time her stomach had grown, it would've been pretty obvious to them that their daughter was pregnant. Santana cared more about the other secret. The 'secretly liking to kiss girls' secret…**_

_**Quinn was the only person who she'd told that one to.**_

_**Santana continued running, wishing she'd taken gym class a little more seriously as she panted and gave up wiping the tears that covered her face. She crossed the road without looking both ways and barely missed the car that came speeding towards her. The Latina's breathing got heavier when she realised the car had stopped and out of it popped Rachel Berry.**_

"_**Santana" she heard her say. "Are you okay?"**_

_**That's when she broke down completely, in the tiny girl's arms and she didn't stop for at least twenty minutes. By that time, Rachel had brought her into the car, which one of her dads was driving, and was hugging her in the back seat. Santana couldn't hear anything other than what was running through her mind and she couldn't see anything; what with all the tears and her hair sticking to her cheeks.**_

_**The car began to move but she didn't question where they were going, Santana didn't think she even had the energy to speak up and could barely keep her eyes open. Rachel stayed still as if she was scared the slightly taller girl would break at any moment- she'd probably heard the rumours.**_

_**Rachel took Santana by the hand and lead her into her house, it wasn't much bigger than her own. They both sat down on the couch after Rachel had ordered her other dad to make them both some tea; stating that a warm drink would make her feel better.**_

_**When Santana had calmed down a little, she realised where she was exactly and that she'd somehow moved from the couch to Rachel's room. She'd never been to Rachel's house before but she liked it and she wasn't uncomfortable. Santana remembered when the near sight of the girl used to make her want to gag but since joining the Glee club, they'd become a little closer.**_

"_**What's happened?" Rachel asked straight away and all Santana did was hold her stomach and let out a few more silent tears.**_

"_**My parents kicked me out" That's all she needed to say because it seemed that Rachel got it.**_

"_**You can stay here if you like?" the brunette offered and Santana just smiled because right then she realised, she had no other friends.**_

I hope you liked this chapter! I know not much happened but you'll just have to wait to find out more :)


	3. Chapter 3

**So, here's the next chapter! Thanks for all your reviews. I decided to change it all to third person so I've edited the first two chapters and you can go and read them again if you want to :)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Three

Santana spotted Brittany enter the diner and smile directly at her, just as she finished her song with Dani, the new girl who'd just started working there. Panic fled through Santana's body as she thought of a response but she gave up and just settled on a simple smile back. It had been a week since the blonde had moved into the apartment opposite but they'd seen each other most days; whether it was to collect their mail or both returning home at the exact same time. Normally Santana hated coincidences but she decided she could get used to these.

She flattened down her red dress, which she totally hated wearing, and headed over to her neighbour. With each step Santana was thinking of what to say to her but realised how stupid that was because if she over-thought it then she'd screw up.

"Hey, nice outfit" Brittany said, not entirely saving Santana from making a fool out of herself as, as soon as the blonde spoke, the Latina blushed not so subtly.

"Hi" she replied before taking out her notepad. "Can I get you anything?"

"Just a coffee thanks" Brittany told her, before reaching into her purse to grab some money.

"Don't worry about that, have it on the house. We're neighbours after all"

Santana didn't know why she did these things or why Brittany was even in the diner at 5pm on a Saturday- surely she'd have some awesome plans that Santana would be jealous of. She put it down to the fact she felt bad for making her neighbour sad and upset when she talked about her parents last week. Ever since then, she'd just wanted to make sure Brittany was ok. If Rachel found out about this, she wouldn't live it down- ever! _Oh, Santana, you're actually caring about someone else! Wow, what's happened to you? _She could hear the irritating voice now.

Sure, Santana was eternally grateful for everything Rachel had done for her but that didn't mean they didn't get on each other's nerves- they constantly did. Rachel was too clean. She sang far too much. She got her daughter into vegan food. The list could go on; in fact Santana was sure last year she'd actually written down a list of such things and handed it to her friend. It didn't go down too well.

Underneath it all, there was a mutual understanding and that was what mattered. Santana did wish she would stop singing show tunes around the apartment though- they weren't in Glee club anymore.

"Cheers Santana" Brittany's voice brought a smile to the Latina's face as she turned around to fetch the coffee her neighbour had just requested; she made a mental note to remember her exact order for the next time she came in, if she ever did.

"See you around" Brittany said as she left the diner, coffee in hand and a grin on her face. Santana wondered why she'd only come in for 5 minutes but shook it off.

She was just glad that Brittany wasn't sad today.

As Santana entered her apartment at 6:30 that evening, she was greeted by a five year old covered in makeup and a tired looking Rachel who's hair was in pigtails and nails were being painted. Now, Santana constantly told her daughter that she was the best at everything however she hadn't quite grasped the concept of not painting Rachel's _fingers _and just staying on the nail.

"Mommy!" Mia dropped the nail polish brush and ran up to Santana with her arms stretched out wide.

"Did you have a nice girly day with Rachel, baby?"

"Yeah, we went shopping and then bought some makeup and some clothes and then we went to eat at that nice café down the street and then Rachel let me do her hair and her nails and she did mine! Isn't she pretty mommy?"

"She's _gorgeous" _Santana mocked whilst smirking at Rachel who looked like she needed to lie down. It wasn't easy looking after Mia all day that's for sure! Santana often needed about 9 cups of coffee just to have enough energy to take her to the park.

"I'm going for a shower and a nap" Rachel stood up and headed to the bathroom.

"Berry, not so fast" Santana began, grabbing the smaller girl by her arm and pulling her back. "I've got to go and see my therapist; you promised you'd look after her until after that" she said and Rachel groaned.

Santana knew she wasn't groaning at the prospect of spending more time with Mia, it was just that she had no energy left. It should teach Rachel a lesson not to stay up all night on the phone with Finn and actually get some sleep; especially if she'd offered to look after a child all day.

"I only came home to get changed, maybe tonight you _shouldn't_ have a three hour long conversation with Finn" Santana flashed Rachel her best smirk that said _you know I'm right, don't try and argue with me._

After changing out of her red work clothes and into some jeans, Santana hugged her daughter once more and walked to the door.

"You have to go out again?" Mia asked with sad eyes which felt like being stabbed several times in the face. She got down on the little girl's level and nodded.

"Yeah sweetie but I'll be back in an hour and we can watch The Little Mermaid before you go to bed, how about that?" Santana bargained knowing that Mia wouldn't refuse to watch any Disney film.

She nodded her head enthusiastically and let her mom leave the apartment before running off to find Rachel so she could finish her nails.

Santana arrived at the building where she'd been going twice a week since she moved to New York and not once had she enjoyed going. She knew therapy wasn't supposed to be fun but every time she came out of a session, she felt like she wanted to cry or scream, or hit someone. Or hit herself.

It was like her therapist was getting money for talking about how much of a screw up Santana was. She wasn't a bad person; she'd just made mistakes in her life. Mistakes that she wish she could apologise for.

"Santana, fancy seeing you here"

She lifted her head up as she pressed the button for the elevator, just as she saw Brittany walking down the stairs next to it. Coincidence.

Santana wondered why Brittany would need to even be here, she doubted she was as crazy as she was. She kind of hoped Brittany was ok.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" The Latina asked her neighbour, hoping that she wouldn't find that question too uncomfortable. If it was the other way around, she knew she'd hate to be asked that.

"Just saw my therapist, you come here too?" Brittany asked curiously and Santana nodded wondering how much to tell her. She decided on not much.

"Well, I only recently came because apparently I'm not 'handling things very well'" Brittany said when Santana didn't speak for a while. She appreciated it. She was about to ask _what_ _wasn't_ _she_ _handling_ _well_ but realised she didn't want Brittany to cry.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, yanno, now we're neighbours, you can just come round if you want to talk to someone" Santana told the blonde who's sad smile turned into the biggest grin, as if she'd just been told she'd won the lottery.

"That means a lot"

"I know how you feel and sometimes you just want to get it all out, trust me, I've been in therapy for over five years" Santana knew she'd said too much and she couldn't take it back. Brittany was going to ask why she needed to see a therapist and then she'd have to explain that she had a daughter when she had only just turned 16 and then her neighbour will think she's a bad mother and won't want to speak to her ever again. It was always that cycle and Santana didn't want it repeating, especially not now. So, when Brittany did indeed ask _Aw, why? _Santana simply checked her watch and said she was running late before entering the elevator and leaving a bewildered, yet slightly hurt, Brittany behind.

She didn't want people thinking she couldn't handle her life, she could. She didn't think she would be able to, but she'd grown up.

_**Oh god, oh god, oh god, this was not happening. Santana paced back and forth in the girl's bathroom at school and stared at her feet. Her Cheerios uniform wouldn't fit soon and everyone would know and everyone would leave her and she'd be alone. She'd run out of the classroom, mid Spanish lesson with Mr Shue, and couldn't control her tears anymore. She didn't know why it suddenly hit her then, but it had. She hadn't thought about it for a few days but as soon as she saw Quinn and Puck sitting next to each other in the only lesson they shared together, her heart sank and she wondered how Puck could still look his girlfriend is the eyes. Santana certainly hadn't looked at Quinn directly in the eyes for the past few weeks. It hurt too much.**_

_**She'd kept it a secret and it had been eating her up inside since the moment it happened and she was sick of it. She knew that as soon as she ran out of the classroom that Quinn would follow her. They were best friends, why wouldn't she follow her? **_

"_**San" she heard a wary voice enter the bathroom just after her. Santana didn't turn around; she couldn't. She just stopped pacing and looked directly into the mirror at her own face. Her makeup was smeared, her eyes were sore from all the crying and she was doing anything to avoid eye contact with the blonde who stood behind her.**_

"_**San, what's up?" Quinn asked, reaching her hand forward and placing it on her friend's shoulder. Quinn knew to be careful because recently Santana had been distant, for obvious reasons that people were yet to find out.**_

"_**Talk to me" **_

"_**I-I can't. Not r-right now" Santana stuttered and she desperately tried to stop herself from doing something stupid. She walked to the corner on the other side of the bathroom, and sank to the ground; her face in her knees and her hands over her ears.**_

_**Quinn didn't move. She was scared. She'd never seen her friend like this before. Santana was normally the one who **_**made **_**people cry and laugh about it afterwards; she was a bitch to everyone but her. She wasn't the one to break down; she was strong.**_

_**Santana knew that wasn't true at all. She was a coward.**_

"_**San, maybe I can help" Quinn pleaded but the other girl just shook her head. **_

"_**I'm sorry" The Latina mumbled.**_

"_**About what?" **_

"_**I'm pregnant" Santana whispered, hoping that Quinn hadn't heard. The blonde's already pale complexion turned ghostly and she had to grab the side of the sink to steady her feet. Oh god, Santana had said it out loud and now Quinn knew and she would ask who the father was and she'd have to either tell her the truth and lose her as a friend, or tell her a lie and risk her finding out from someone else. **_

"_**Quinn, say something" Santana begged after about 5 minutes of uncomfortable silence.**_

"_**Me too"**_

_**No this was not happening. **_

_**Out of everything she could have said; **_**who's the father, when did this happen, you're a slut **_**etc., Santana never pictured this. She never pictured both her and Quinn being pregnant at the same time, both aged 16, both by the same guy.**_

"_**I'm so confused San, how can you be pregnant, you don't even have a boyfriend? What about that thing you told m-" Quinn began before Santana stopped her and raised her head.**_

"_**Don't, Q, don't mention that"**_

"_**Then who, San?" Quinn turned to face the mirror and looked at her best friend through it. Santana wanted to close her eyes to hide the shame and guilt she felt but she couldn't, they were locked onto Quinn's. For a moment Santana thought the blonde would be able to read from her face but the questioning look she gave her told her otherwise.**_

_**She couldn't say it out loud.**_

"_**Puck" She said it quickly and then stood up to run for the door, not wanting to look at Quinn ever again. **_

_**That was harder than it seemed as Quinn's hand came into contact with Santana's cheek. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe and her heart was beating and all she could see were flashes of blonde hair.**_

"_**Q, I'm sorry I really am, I-I didn't mean for a-any of this to happen, it just did and-"Another slap interrupted her words and her chest felt tighter than before. She was panicking.**_

_**Only Quinn knew how to calm her down when this happened but Santana doubted she would do that now. With another quick look around, she noticed Quinn had gone and left her. Her breathing quickened even more and she blinked a few times to try and get her vision back to normal but everything was failing her. **_

"_**Santana drink this for me" She wasn't sure where that voice was coming from but she took the water bottle and attempted to drink it without spilling it all over herself. Her hands were shaking so much that she almost dropped it before handing it back.**_

"_**Follow me" Santana knew it was Miss Pillsbury. The ginger hair gave her away.**_

_**Once Santana had calmed down enough so she could have a proper conversation, Miss Pillsbury brought her into her office and sat her down whilst handing her a fresh glass of water.**_

"_**So, Santana, Quinn found me and she's lucky she did, you've got a great friend there" The Latina nodded because that was true; she **_**did**_** have a great friend but she wasn't sure if she still had that.**_

"_**You had a panic attack" The guidance counsellor stated and Santana just nodded her head.**_

"_**I know"**_

"_**So you've had one before?" Santana nodded.**_

"_**Now, what do you think triggered this one?" Santana wondered whether to go for it and just pour out all her feelings and hope for the best or whether to stay quiet and slowly combust.**_

"_**Er, I've ruined Quinn's l-life" was all Santana managed to force out before she was crying again.**_

"_**I didn't mean to sleep with Puck, I was just angry that she told the Glee club my secret and I wanted to get her back and this was the only way I could think of and I was so drunk and he didn't' seem to mind and now I've ruined my life and I've ruined hers and it won't ever be the same again and I don't know what to do" she could have easily ranted for another hour but she was mentally exhausted. Miss Pillsbury let her lie down, thinking about how much she'd kill for a hug.**_

"So, Santana, have you had any panic attacks recently?" her therapist, Mindy, asked but Santana just shook her head.

"No, I only get them when I think or talk about certain things so I've learnt just not to do that"

"That's not a healthy way of dealing with anything Santana" Disapproving eyes settled into the side of Santana's face as she looked around the room, to distract herself from the difficult questions heading her way.

"Yeah, well, it's better than having panic attacks everyday"

"When did you used to get these panic attacks?" Mindy asked, pen at the ready in order to note down everything that Santana said.

"When I thought about high school or Quinn or Puck or anything to do with them, yanno, or my parents or Ohio in general"

"And have you thought about any of that recently?" Santana nodded and then thought about it for a minute.

"Then why haven't you had a panic attack?" Santana didn't know. She did however think about the first time she ever had one.

_**Santana grabbed her PJ's from her bag and watched as Quinn got some from her closet. They quickly got changed and laid on the bed. It wasn't awkward getting changed in front of each other- they'd known each other since they were in 1**__**st**__** grade.**_

"_**Okay" Quinn began once they were both comfortable. "Let's play truth or truth" she said, laughing slightly.**_

"_**Is that even a real thing?" A fifteen year old Santana asked, eyebrows raised.**_

"_**Sure, I'll start okay?" Quinn waited for her friend to nod before thinking of a question. The two girls did this often. Every Friday night since middle school, they'd had a sleepover at each other's houses- it alternated every week- and it was Quinn's turn this time. They spent the majority of it watching old Disney movies or talking about boys.**_

"_**Do you like anyone at the moment?" Quinn asked.**_

"_**Nope" Santana said a little too quickly but Quinn carried on as normal, she knew her best friend would tell her eventually- she always did. **_

"_**Have you and Puck finally done it yet?" The Latina asked, giggling and watched as Quinn's face turned red. She tried to pull the covers up over her face but she was bad at hiding things so Santana's smirk got bigger.**_

_**She playfully slapped Quinn on the arm under the duvet. "Quinn, you slut, how come you didn't tell me?" Santana mocked.**_

"_**Oi, I was gonna but I couldn't find the right time. I figured our usual Friday night sleepover would be the perfect time to come clean"**_

"_**Wanky" was all Santana could reply before they both curled over in fits of laughter. They enjoyed this time because at school they had barely any classes together and only got to see each other at Glee club or at Cheerios practice.**_

"_**So, seriously, anyone special in your life?" Quinn asked and suddenly the air got really tense and Santana got irritable and fidgety.**_

"_**San, seriously, what's wrong?" The worried voice that left her best friend's mouth made tears form in Santana's eyes. Quinn didn't say much, she just wrapped her arms around her and held on tight.**_

"_**You **_**can**_** tell me, you know" Quinn whispered onto the back of Santana's neck but the tears wouldn't stop.**_

"_**Is this because you like some guy and he doesn't like you back?" That really didn't help the situation but it made Santana think clearer.**_

"_**No, Q, that's the point. I don't like any guy"**_

"_**Then why are you crying?"**_

"_**You don't get it, it doesn't matter"**_

"_**No, if you're crying then it does matter because you never cry"**_

"_**I- I don't like any guy, like **_**at all**_**" Santana emphasised the last two words and raised her eyebrows at Quinn, hoping she'd understand. She really didn't want to explain it to her but she also didn't want to worry her any more.**_

"_**I don't understa- oh"**_

_**Santana didn't say anything, she just laid there and hoped Quinn wouldn't make her leave.**_

"_**Do you hate me?"**_

"_**No, sweetie, why would I hate you?" Santana shrugged. She didn't want to say it out loud; not yet anyway.**_

"_**San, your heart is beating really fast, are you ok?"**_

_**Santana sat up and felt her own heart; it was beating faster than it ever had done. It was scary and made more and more tears roll down her cheeks. What was wrong? Why was she getting all worked up? As she panicked more and more, Quinn was doing everything she could to help, by rubbing circles onto the top of Santana's back and trying to get her to drink some water.**_

"_**Wh-what is h-happening Q, I can't breathe"**_

"_**I don't know sweetie, try and stay calm ok, just don't think about that right now, we can talk tomorrow but I promise you, everything's okay. I promise"**_

_**Santana just sat there, with one hand on her chest trying to somehow breathe easier, and the other hand in Quinn's; each tiny squeeze of her hand made her feel just that little bit better. It made her feel like she **_**hadn't **_**just confessed the biggest secret she'd ever had to her best friend.**_

"Santana are you okay?" Mindy asked and placed her notepad on the desk between the two. The Latina nodded and desperately wanted to read what she had written but decided against stealing it. She'd done that with her past three therapists and reminded herself that change was sometimes a good thing.

"You said last week that you were feeling a little lonely, is that still the case?" The older woman said, pushing her glasses further up onto her nose, her eyes bearing so deep into her that Santana felt too vulnerable to speak. She just nodded slightly and lowered her head, embarrassed she'd even admitted that.

"So, you're not in a relationship?

Again, Santana shook her head 'No' and kept staring at her shoes. Truthfully, Santana hadn't been in a proper relationship nor had a proper girlfriend since forever. She'd gone out with a girl called Alex when they first moved to New York but the minute she found out about Mia, she ran for it and never looked back. Santana was too scared to do that again so she just stuck to being alone. That way, no one's feeling got hurt.

"Well, our hour's up so I'll see you on Wednesday?" Mindy asked and Santana nodded before rushing out of the room, she couldn't deal with it any longer. It was claustrophobic in there and she felt like, if she'd been in there any longer, the walls would have slowly caved in.

Santana sighed as the elevator brought her to the ground floor and the cool breeze hit her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw blonde hair so she turned around and was met with the smiling face of her neighbour.

"Hey, Brittany, what're you still doing here?" She asked, genuinely confused because _her_ appointment had finished just over an hour ago. Brittany got up off the bench and stood next to the Latina.

"Er, I waited for you because before you looked really sad and I wanted to make sure you were okay and not mad at me or anything because you don't have to tell me anything, I mean, you barely know me so that's fine and I didn't want you to walk back home alone and sad and cold" Brittany rambled on and about two words into her little speech, Santana's discomfort had grown into the biggest smile; she didn't even think that she'd ever smiled this big.

"Britt, that's adorable" was all she replied before the two headed home, grins on their faces and butterflies in their stomachs.

**I may not be able to upload the next chapter for a while because I'm going on holiday on Thursday! But then again, if I'm in the mood and don't have a lot of work then it might be up before I go :) Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, sorry for not posting for a while! I really had no time to update before I went on holiday! But I'm back now so here we go…If you can't remember what's happened you can go and re-read the other three chapters :)

**Chapter Four**

Santana woke up extra early in order to get Mia ready for preschool. She'd gotten over the initial sadness of taking her and instead looked forward to her daughter's eagerness to get through the doors and see her new friends again. She was glad she had something to look forward to.

Sure, taking Mia to school this early wasn't completely normal but she liked to avoid the hassle of other people; and this was the only way to do it. Mia didn't mind. Santana hoped that was the case anyway.

"You ready baby?" came Santana's raspy morning voice. Mia nodded and linked hands with her mother as they left the house. Santana heard a rattle from the door opposite hers so she scooped her daughter up and ran down the stairs. This wasn't an ideal situation but she'd just gotten to know Brittany and she couldn't drop something this big on her now. From an outsider's perspective it seemed as though Santana was ashamed but that wasn't it at all- she was protecting her daughter as well as herself. She didn't want Mia to meet anyone if they were just going to leave straight away.

Santana kissed Mia on the temple before letting her run off with the others and turned around to head home. She thought about her very complicated situation and sighed. Her life had been anything but normal so far, she should be used to this complexity by now. She walked for a few minutes with her hands in her pockets, saving them from frostbite, and entered the nearest coffee shop. The queue was non-existent and for that she was eternally thankful.

"Two tall Salted Caramel Mochas to go please" Santana asked politely and handed the barista the money before waiting a few minutes. She didn't know why she ordered two; maybe it was because yesterday Brittany had come home and brought her a coffee. It was confusing at first because it was so random but Santana drank the coffee anyway and told Brittany she owed her one.

She smiled to herself as she approached her apartment's floor and was met with the blonde that was currently on her mind.

"Hey neighbour" Brittany exclaimed, her voice heavy with joy. Santana had no idea how anyone could be this upbeat in the morning; especially a cold and drizzly one like this.

"Hey Brit"

"I got you this" Santana passed Brittany the other cup and watched as her face lit up with the first sip.

"Wow, cheers San" Santana tried to hold back a smirk as she heard the nickname and instead took a sip from her own drink, masking it pretty well.

"Well, I figured I owed you after yesterday"

Brittany smiled before checking her watch and widening her eyes.

"Wow, it's late, I've got to drop my sister off so maybe we can chat later, yeah?" she said before running back indoors. Santana presumed it was to get her sister.

It was weird, Brittany had been living in her new apartment for ten days now and the two had talked almost every morning at about this time, as Santana came back from dropping Mia off. The two either bumped into each other as they checked their mail or as they opened their doors at the same time. But, she'd never seen Brittany's sister. She figured she would soon.

As Brittany returned back out in the hallway alone, Santana was confused.

"I just came to say thanks again before I g-"

"Hey, it's Brittany isn't it?" A loud voice came from behind Santana. The Latina realised this was the first time Rachel had met their new neighbour.

"Oh, er, yeah, hey" the blonde said, shaking the small woman's hand.

"San, I thought you were taking M-"

"Yeah er, I already have, aren't you going to be late Rachel? Don't you have teachers to hit on or friends to annoy?" Santana said quickly, ushering Rachel down the stairs before she could let anything more out of that big mouth of hers.

"What was that all about?" Brittany asked, clearly confused. But Santana just shook her head and said goodbye before heading into her own apartment to breathe heavily. That was a close one. Santana was glad that Brittany didn't say anything about her weird behaviour; to be honest; she never gave her the chance to.

Santana returned home at around 2:45pm and sat on her sofa, clearly exhausted from the day she'd had. She'd had to write three songs in the space of three hours for three very annoying people, all who she hated. It was a hard job but she needed the money.

Santana left the house for the hundredth time that day and headed towards the school to pick up Mia. As she approached the gates she saw her daughter yelling. She was about to smile with pride at how she could go all Lima Heights just as she had but when she saw the little blonde girl cowering beneath her, Santana's expression changed.

Just as she was about to head over and yell at her daughter, someone beat her to it and separated the young girls from each other, holding the blonde one in her arms to check if she was alright. Santana knew she was about to have a standoff with another one of the mothers- it had happened before and it happened often; she was used to it by now.

But before she could say anything, blue eyes met brown and Brittany's face was in front of hers.

"Er, hey" Santana said, confusion rattling through her mind. From the look on her neighbour's face, she could tell Brittany was just as confused as she was.

For a second Santana thought that maybe the little blonde girl was Brittany's daughter and that they weren't so different after all.

"Hey, San" the blonde began "This is my little sister Evie" she added and everything clicked in Santana's head. She'd spent the last ten days thinking that Brittany had an older or a teenage sister but here she was, looking after a little five year old just like she was.

Should she tell her? It's the perfect opportunity. She's clearly not against children.

"This is my, er, daughter. Mia" Santana said before taking a deep breath and staring right into Brittany's eyes hoping for some sort of reaction.

"Wow, that's awesome, she looks just like you"

Santana was shocked to say the least. Sure, she'd seen some kind of hurt in those blue eyes because she'd kept her daughter hidden from her for a while. But it wasn't as if they were best friends. Were they even friends at all?

They were interrupted by Mia yelling something in Spanish at the small blonde girl.

"Oi, Mija, no!" Santana then yelled something back in Spanish and picked up her daughter, kind of embarrassed that she was the one making Evie cry.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Brittany getting down onto her sister's level and whispering words into her ear. None of them were helping because the little girl was whimpering and crying more than ever and Santana felt terrible just standing there. She told Mia to grab her bag and school stuff before walking back over to the two blondes.

"I'm such a terrible sister, I have no idea what I'm doing" Brittany sighed as she stood up. "I've never had to look after her on my own before and now I'm pretty much all she has and I can't even stop her crying"

"Hey, now, don't say that! Let me try" Santana said before diving into her purse to find something to give to Evie.

She bent her knees so she was the same height as the blonde child and pulled out a giant lollipop which instantly made the tears stop and instead replaced them with a giant smile.

"For me?" Evie asked timidly before looking from Santana's eyes to Brittany's. The small nod from both women reassured her that it was all hers and she took the lollipop whilst hugging Santana.

"See, it's not that hard once you find all the right tricks. I carry them in my bag 24/7 and they work like a charm. We need to get you some"

"Isn't that just bribing them though?" Brittany asked and Santana nodded her head.

"Yeah but it works doesn't it" Sure, it wouldn't be in parenting 101 and her child's teeth would be horrible soon but for the moment everything was sorted.

"So, you have a daughter" Brittany started as they watched their two children stare at each other with unsure looks, both from behind the adults legs. Santana didn't really know what to say, not many people took it that well.

"Yeah, I do"

"She's beautiful" Brittany said, smiling down at Mia who blushed and smiled back before taking a lollipop from her mother's bag without asking. The two women just laughed and went back to their own conversation.

"I know, she's my mini me. We're so alike it's unreal" Santana said, a proud smile upon her face. "Besides Rachel, she's only ever had me"

"_**Oh god, this is not happening now. It can't. It's too early" Santana whispered to no one in particular; after all, she was alone and in a park so no one would be able to hear her. She took a few deep breaths to calm down but nothing was helping and the pain was increasing in her back as the minutes passed.**_

_**For a moment, Santana was able to stand up and attempt to walk back home to Rachel's house but the pressure in her stomach was rising and the pain soon returned. This continued for a few minutes before Santana gave up and just sat there, hoping someone would rescue her soon or that the pain would die down. **_

_**It probably wasn't even the real thing anyway.**_

_**She wasn't due for another month and the doctors had always told her that she could get fake contractions, she wasn't sure of their proper name but she hoped that those were what she was having.**_

_**She placed her hands on top of her stomach, which had grown considerably the past few months and looked so out of place on her tiny frame, and sighed through the pain. She spotted a few children playing on the other side of the park, along with their mothers and desperately hoped they'd see her. She tried to get enough energy to shout but it was no use; she was exhausted, both mentally and physically.**_

_**Her cries were strained but quiet and every time she tried to move, the shooting pains would get worse. This was certainly not how she'd planned this to go- she'd already had this conversation as well. She would go into labour and Rachel would be there to help her through it, she'd be there to hold her hand and aid her breathing. And she'd certainly be there to listen to the shouting and random Spanish outbursts that Santana knew were inevitable. But this was the opposite.**_

_**She was cold and lonely and in the middle of nowhere.**_

"_**San?" Santana's cries were interrupted by a fragile voice behind her. Turning her head, the pregnant teenager locked eyes with someone she'd not seen in a long, long time. Not since she'd left school. **_

_**Quinn.**_

_**Santana didn't say anything; she just clutched her stomach and stared at the blonde, whose stomach was just as big as hers. She watched as Quinn dialled 911 and then listened closely to her half of the conversation.**_

"_**Yeah, she's not due for just less than 4 weeks"**_

"_**Yeah"**_

"_**Mhm"**_

"_**I'll bring her now"**_

_**Quinn didn't speak to Santana at all; she just held her hand as she dialled someone else.**_

"_**Berry I know you don't want to talk to me right now and trust me, the feeling is completely mutual, but Santana is having contractions and looks in pain and I can't drive so get your ass over here and help me" If this was on a film or happening to someone else, Santana would have probably laughed at that but because this was **_**her**_** life and this was all completely real, tears rolled down her cheeks. What if the baby was struggling? What if this was her fault? They had told her to rest and not get too stressed and Santana had really tried her best at that but given everything that happened, it was difficult not to get worked up sometimes.**_

_**Quinn squeezed the Latina's hand and stayed still.**_

_**Santana could tell she was uncomfortable, hell, they both were. They hadn't spoken for so long and no one knew what to say but underneath it all, Santana knew Quinn was looking out for the baby that was clearly ready to enter the world.**_

There was no denying that Brittany was still shocked at the revelation, she didn't exactly hide it well. However, Santana knew that would be the case and she was kind of glad that it had happened so soon. She couldn't imagine how awkward it would have been trying to explain her daughter to someone she'd known for months and months.

Santana turned around to pick up Mia and almost tripped in the process as another child ran past them, clearly in a hurry to get home. She followed the path of the little girl, whose blonde curly hair was tied in a bow.

The little girl jumped into the arms of a tall, tanned man, equipped with a sleeveless top and Mohawk, before hugging the blonde woman stood next to him.

This was not happening.

Sure, Santana was used to coincidences but this just felt like the world was mocking her.

She could only deal with so much at the moment.

"_**San, why did you invite me over?" Puck asked his friend as the pair walked into Santana's bedroom, beer bottles in hands.**_

"_**Why? Aren't I allowed to invite my best friend over for no reason?" she answered, with a defensive glare and shrug.**_

"_**No, that's not it. It's just I didn't see you in school today" Noah sat against the head board of the Latina's bed and patted the spot next to him, inviting her over.**_

"_**Yeah, well, I didn't want to see anyone. Not after what Quinn did."**_

"_**She didn't mean to upset you, you know. She just didn't want you to hide." Puck answered. "And besides, it was just us Glee kids"**_

"_**That's not the point. The point was that I trusted her and she just went behind my back and told people anyway." Santana said, chugging the beer and trying to hold back her tears.**_

"_**We don't care that you like girls, actually it's pretty hot" Puck was rewarded with a slap to his chest and a death stare which he just shrugged off and drank some more beer.**_

"_**Sorry, it's just I don't know why you didn't tell me first, yanno we've known each other for a lot longer that you two have" Puck added, referring to the fact they'd known each other forever- quite literally. Santana's parents had been friends with Puck's mother way before they had even been born. The two had practically grown up together.**_

"_**I hadn't really planned on telling anyone, it just sorta happened" Santana reasoned, lowering her head onto Puck's shoulder, finally letting the tears fall.**_

"_**So, how are you and Quinn?" Santana asked, once she'd calmed down a bit, hoping for some dirt on her best friends.**_

_**Puck laughed before draining the last drops of his sixth beer and reaching for another one.**_

"_**You want another?" Santana nodded and thanked him.**_

"_**Stop deflecting, what's up with you and Quinn? Trouble in paradise?"**_

"_**No, not really" Puck began, shaking his head slightly. This alcohol was certainly going to his head. "She just, er, won't, yanno-"**_

"_**Oh, she won't put out? Wow, Puck, your charm not working?" Santana joked and Puck looked at her, smirking.**_

_**Santana stared at Puck and watched as his eyes drifted to her lips. She sipped her beer and sat up a little straighter, licking her lips as she did so. She'd stopped counting after her fifth beer so wasn't entirely sure what was happening.**_

_**Puck leaned in and Santana knew she had to pull away.**_

_**But then Quinn confessing her secret to the rest of her friends popped into her hazy mind.**_

_**Screw her.**_

_**Santana leaned the rest of the way in and their lips met. Puck knew that she didn't like him as anything more than a best friend; he guessed that was why this didn't feel weird at all to either of them. That and the alcohol slowly messing with their heads.**_

_**The kiss got messy and disorderly but neither one of them could stop what was happening. It was too late. Santana just hoped that Quinn would never find out and if she did, hopefully she'd understand that they were even now. Maybe not.**_

"Who're you staring at mommy?" Mia asked but didn't get a response straight away so turned to look for herself.

"Why're you looking at Beth?" the little girl asked with a confused look on her face.

That pretty much confirmed it and Santana felt her world slowly crumbling. She'd managed to escape her Ohio life, well most of it, when she moved to New York to live with her new family. This wasn't fair on her at all, or Mia.

Confusion filled Santana's mind as she thought back to the last time she saw Puck.

"_**I told him he couldn't come in but he insisted and said it was important" Rachel said as she walked into Santana's room, trailing behind a tired looking Puck. Santana didn't say anything; she just looked up from the baby in her arms and into the eyes of the boy who she used to call one of her best friends. She still considered Puck a good friend but since everything had happened, the two hadn't spoken properly. Not after he ran away from her.**_

"_**Hey"**_

_**Silence.**_

"_**It's okay, you don't have to speak, I just came here to check on you" Puck began, sitting down on Santana's bed in her new room. Wow, this room was almost the spitting image of her old room back at her parent's house. That room had been the home of many memories, both good and bad. Mainly bad.**_

_**Puck then realised that this was the first time he'd seen his daughter.**_

"_**She's so tiny, San, it's scary" he said as he looked down at the baby girl in Santana's arms, desperately wanting to hold her however knowing that that wasn't going to happen.**_

"_**Yeah, she was only 4lbs 9oz when she was born" The pair heard Rachel say from behind the bedroom door.**_

"_**Anyway, I just came to say that I'm sorry and that Quinn had her baby yesterday and she's called Beth and she's thinking of adoption but she's not 100% sure yet"**_

_**Santana wanted to ask what Puck wanted to do with Beth but decided against it, whatever they were doing was clearly all Quinn's idea. She could see the pain in Noah's eyes when he talked about her.**_

"_**I really am sorry for going MIA for a while. I know you needed me; but when you and Quinn told me you were both pregnant I freaked out and didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. I just had to get away." Puck said, sounding like he wanted to cry with shame at his own actions. There were many times that Santana felt like running away but she knew she couldn't.**_

_**She just nodded and smiled a sad smile before watching him walk out.**_

Seeing Puck and Quinn together once more made Santana's heart beat really fast but she wasn't sure why. Was she upset? She didn't know. She just realised that Puck must have come back for Quinn and not for her; otherwise they'd be playing happy families instead. It kind of made her feel lonely. Sure, she never wanted to date Puck but there was no doubting that he would've made a good father.

Santana knew that she had no one to support her like Puck supported Quinn and Rachel didn't really count. She felt bad for saying that sometimes but she hoped the brunette understood. Santana wanted romance and trust and a family and Rachel was just the best friend.

She brushed her raven hair behind her ears as her breathing got harder and quicker.

"Mommy, what's happening?" The small child asked as her mother's eyes filled with tears and her chest rose at twice the normal speed.

"San?" Brittany asked but it was no use.

Santana was panicking.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**Sorry it took a while, and sorry for any mistakes.**_

_**I'd love a review :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been quite ill recently and haven't had much time or energy to start writing. But I did it, and here it is! Thanks for all the reviews, this chapter is just adorable, if I do say so myself.**

_Chapter Five_

Santana's breathing haltered and she lifted her hand to her hair, tugging on it slightly in the hopes that it would somehow help her. When that failed she took to closing her eyes and gripping onto the nearest thing she could find which, in her case, was Brittany's shoulder. It took the blonde by surprise at first but she soon leaned into her and tried to help as best as she could.

Santana was overthinking.

It was what she did best. What would happen if Quinn saw her? Would she be angry still? After all these years?

Santana wondered if she'd be amicable and act as if nothing had happened or ignore her and walk right on by, with Puck on one arm and her daughter on the other.

She needed to calm down as soon as possible or she'd attract more attention to herself and more and more people would notice what was happening. Santana opened her eyes slowly and took a deep breath. Then another. And at least a few more. She'd never felt more determined to calm herself down than right then.

A frown almost fell upon Santana's face as she felt Brittany move away from her, but when she felt the blonde's hands upon hers, squeezing them every few seconds, the relief was almost too much to handle. It scared her a bit. But her breathing soon slowed down to what she considered a normal pace and she managed to squeeze Brittany's hands back, to reassure her neighbour that she was alright now and that she was sorry that this even happened.

Santana watched as Brittany let go of her hands in order to hold onto both Evie and Mia's. Their sweet, little faces made Santana feel guilty; not only because Evie was crying again, but because Mia didn't look shocked at all anymore. Sure, at the start she'd cried and wondered what was going on but once she'd realised that she'd seen this before, her face was stoic. There was no expression. Not one. The fact that Mia was used to this made her want to take her baby in her arms and never let her go; it made Santana never want to leave her and she certainly had to make sure this never happened again.

"Come this way, San" Brittany said, holding the girls' hands and looking back at the Latina who's body and face looked exhausted from her previous outburst. Santana followed the blonde to the other side of the playground, near the doors, and watched as she bent down to their level.

She could barely make out her whispers.

"Shh, sweetie, its fine, look" Brittany began, looking back at Santana "Everything's over, Santana was just a little bit upset but she's alright now" Evie's timid face turned towards her neighbour and her blue eyes, which looked so familiar, stared into hers. It took all of her energy to give the child a little smile to make her feel just a little bit safe.

"Thanks Britt" Santana said, just above a whisper, her eyes saying most of the words. Brittany shrugged as if it was nothing but smiled as if it was everything.

Mia took a few small steps back to her mother and tentatively placed her delicate hand into Santana's. The little girl raised her eyebrows to ask her a silent Latina brushed a few strands of loose hair out of her daughter's face and put it behind her ear before kissing her forehead as gently as she could, hoping this would be the answer Mia was looking for. The shy smile on the girl's face told her everything was ok now.

Santana saw Brittany open her mouth to say something, but before any words were spoken by the blonde they were interrupted by a rather tall, suited man whose eyes were not nearly as friendly as the blue ones she was searching for.

"Miss Lopez? Miss Pierce?" One eyebrow was raised and the toothy smile he gave was not a sight either woman wanted to see again.

On the other hand, in her head, Santana was mentally thanking the man for telling her what Brittany's last name was. She wondered for a second whether the blonde was thinking the same before shaking her head at the notion.

"Just the two I was looking for. I'm afraid we're in need of a little chat about the situation between Evie and Mia"

Santana could see Brittany physically sigh at his words and she tried to supress a laugh at her not-so-subtle dislike of the man. He led the two women, whose hands were both gripped onto the little girls, and took them to his office.

"Baby, you'll have to wait out here with Evie okay?" Santana told her daughter cautiously before watching Brittany say something similar to the small blonde girl. The children looked at each other then back at the adults and then to the brown, leather sofa they'd have to occupy together.

Brittany smiled at her neighbour; it was a smile that said _sorry_ but also _this wasn't my idea and I know it wasn't yours._ Santana was grateful for it.

"So, Miss Lopez-"

"It's Santana" she said, as politely as possible when she noticed the _'Principal Harrison' _name plate on his desk, despite the frustration rising in her stomach at the mere sight of him.

"Okay, Santana, Miss Pier-"

"Brittany" She heard her neighbour say, in a playful tone, smirking at them both. Normally Brittany would be completely serious at any meeting about her little sister but to be honest, she knew that they could solve this one on their own. They had to. They'd be living in such close quarters that the children would have to get on at some point.

"Santana. Brittany. Thank you for coming with me at such short notice but it is quite important." The principal began, looking at both women in the eyes before adjusting his tie, which looked like his wife had picked it out for him.

"To shorten things, the girls aren't getting on at all. Almost every day at least one of them is crying and the other is getting into trouble." His eyes bore into Santana's as he spoke again.

"Not to be blunt, but Mia has been the instigator in the majority of the incidents"

Brittany looked sad all of a sudden and Santana wanted to apologise over and over again until her frown disappeared; but she didn't; she just sat there and listened to the principal tell her how bad her daughter was.

"What's she been doing?" she asked, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her shirt to keep herself from hitting anyone.

"Well, just yesterday she was teasing Evie about- er-"

"Just spit it out" Santana was getting angrier by the second.

"She was teasing Evie about the fact she doesn't have a father"

The room got very tense, very quickly and the Latina noticed Brittany's eyes glaze over in a matter of seconds which Principal Harrison was clearly oblivious to. Santana reached over and placed her hand on her neighbour's knee, mouthing _sorry_ as she did so. Brittany shook her head and blinked a few times.

"Why would she do that, she doesn't either" Santana whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Brittany sent a sad smile in her neighbour's direction and Santana realised that maybe she said that a little bit louder than she had originally thought.

"Maybe that's the reason Mia has been acting out" The principal stated, as if it was a fact and that was it. Santana had had enough. She was one step away from going all Lima Heights on this man and she wasn't afraid of doing so. She may have left Ohio but she hadn't left her instincts behind on her move to New York. The only think stopping her was her daughter. She couldn't get into a fight with a teacher and risk Mia getting kicked out because of something stupid _she _had done herself.

Normally a sympathetic look would anger Santana even more but the expression on Brittany's face seemed to calm her. It didn't look patronising or fake, it looked sincere and genuine and made Santana's head fuzzy.

"Well, we can handle it from here" The blonde said before standing up and waiting for Santana to do the same, without looking back at the man at all. She placed her hand on the small of the Latina's back and ushered her out of the small, glass office.

The shiver down Santana's spine startled her but she had to act normal.

It was probably because of the lack of physical contact she'd had in a while.

Yes, it was definitely that.

Evie and Mia were still in the exact same positions they were in previously and looked as though they hadn't moved an inch, probably in fear of getting told of or something along those lines.

"Do you and Mia want to come back to ours? Maybe we can persuade them to get on?" Brittany said the second question with hope in her eyes and a big smile on her face, one that Santana noticed made her nose crinkle and her forehead crease.

Santana found herself agreeing to it before really thinking about how Mia would feel at the strange situation. She stopped for a moment.

"Is that okay, baby?" she asked the brunette child who just shrugged her shoulder and put her hands in her jacket pockets, not saying a word. Santana sighed and nodded to Brittany who took her sister's small, pale hand and led them back home.

As they entered apartment 20, Santana placed her hand, the one not attached to her daughter's, over her mouth to hide her giggle at the decorations on the walls. She had to admit, Brittany certainly had her own style. Whether it was her wacky fashion choices or the wallpaper that didn't match, it was definitely unique.

"Make yourselves at home" Brittany said as they walked into the living room, skipping and swinging her arms in excitement.

Santana noticed that the layout of her apartment was completely identical to her own and it already seemed like she'd been here millions of times before.

"Evie, why don't you show Mia your bedroom?" Brittany said, nudging her little sister in the direction of her room before looking back at Santana and smiling, encouraging her.

"Yeah, Mia, you can tell her your plans for _your_ new room"

"Wait, you're moving?" Brittany asked, a worried expression soon taking over her previous one.

"No, don't worry" Santana thought it was kind of adorable. "My friend Rachel is moving out in two weeks to live with her boyfriend so me and Mia won't have to share anymore" she said, sighing dramatically.

It was only last week that Rachel had dropped the bomb on them both. Santana wasn't handling it very well. To be quite honest, she wasn't handling it at all. They'd only spoken about it once and it ended with the Latina crying on her friend's shoulder for the better part of an hour about how she'd have no one to help her and she'd go insane without her constantly there to keep her on the right path. Rachel had reassured her that she didn't need her there 24/7 and that she'd only be moving 5 minutes away.

Santana had relied on Rachel since she was 16 and all of a sudden she wouldn't be around her. She tried to think of the positives of the situation but found it was too sad to even think about at the moment.

At least Mia would get her own room like every other little girl had; and they could decorate it and put in all her toys and invite her little friends over for sleepovers without keeping Rachel up all nigh..

"Oh okay, is Mia excited?" It sounded like Brittany was way more excited than anyone else.

Santana nodded and widened her eyes.

"Jesus Christ, it's all she's talked about since we told her the news. She wants a unicorn bed and unicorn wallpaper and a pink carpet with a unicorn dresser. It's madness I tell you" she said, making Brittany laugh.

It was a wonderful sound and was much better than when she had almost made her cry in the principal's office.

Evie and Mia walked nervously to the blonde's bedroom door and opened it before walking in one after the other. A small scream of joy was heard from inside and before the adults could have any time to question it, two pairs of little legs came running towards them with huge grins on their faces.

"Look what Evie has!" Mia yelled, holding up a small toy in her mother's face. Santana blinked a few times and told Mia to stay still before looking at it.

"Look, it's the unicorn toy that I have, mommy" she said and Santana looked at her daughter whose earlier mood had been transformed.

"Wow, what a coincidence" she said, lacking the enthusiasm the five year olds thought was necessary.

"Can you go and get mine from our house?" the brunette asked but Santana shook her head. Mia stuck her bottom lip out and dropped her shoulders, before staring up at her mother, her brown eyes darkened with disappointment. Santana could see right through it but didn't want to ruin her day any further.

"I'll be right back" she said to Brittany who nodded and laughed at her, teasingly, as she rose from the chair she had been previously sitting in and leaving the apartment to go to hers.

She couldn't be bothered to get out her keys so she knocked on the door and waited for Rachel to answer it.

"Hey, San, why didn't you use your-" she began before looking across the corridor at her neighbour's open door at the sight inside it. Mia looked almost _too _happy and Brittany's smirk was growing by the second.

"Mia wouldn't take no for an answer, I just have to grab something from our room" she said before running and grabbing the toy unicorn and bringing it back to her daughter. Rachel didn't even say goodbye, she just laughed at her friend and shut the door behind her.

The two five year olds had been playing in Evie's room for at least an hour and a half and no one had come out crying yet which was a good start. Who knew they could bond over a unicorn? Brittany soon returned from the kitchen with a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Want some?" she asked the Latina who thought about it for a second or two before regretfully shaking her head.

"Sorry, it's just my therapist wants me to cut back on the alcohol in the afternoon and start _talking about my feelings _as if she thinks it's going to work" Santana said, in a mocking tone, placing quote marks in the air where she felt necessary.

"Well, maybe she has a point" Brittany said, before returning to the sofa where they were both sat beforehand. "Why don't we start with why you had the panic attack in the first place?"

"Wow, way to break me into it" Santana laughed and wished that she hadn't rejected the alcohol quite as quickly as she had done. It would certainly calm the nerves in her stomach.

"I saw someone"

"Who?"

"An old friend. Well, not really a friend anymore" Brittany was intrigued to say the least.

"Care to explain? I mean, you don't have to. I don't know you that well and I know we've kind of only just met. It's just that we're neighbours now and it'd be cool if we knew more about each other." The blonde added, taking very little breaths throughout the whole speech.

Santana sighed once more. It had become a habit.

"I saw my two old best friends. I've not seen them since Mia was born and it freaked me out because we left things on really bad terms"

Brittany nodded for Santana to continue when she left a bit of a pause.

"Basically, the girl, she was my best friend and had been since middle school or something and we told each other everything. So, one day I may or may not have come out to her and she took it well but told all of my other friends and it really annoyed me so I kind of had to get her back somehow." Santana didn't really have time to think about what she was saying, it was just pouring out and she couldn't stop it.

"I know it was immature and completely stupid but I slept with her boyfriend" Santana tried to ignore the small gasp that escaped Brittany's mouth before she carried on. "He was my other best friend and I saw him today too."

"Basically, I got pregnant and she got pregnant and she told my parents about me being gay and me being pregnant and to cut a long story short, I moved to New York without saying goodbye, and here I am now." Santana took a deep breath. "The End" she added to break the tension.

"You're gay?" Santana widened her eyes at Brittany's question and realised what she'd told her. She couldn't read the blonde's face and it was frustrating and unnerving because normally she was so good at that.

Santana also realised she'd told Brittany, a girl she'd known for a little over 10 days, her entire life story that only Rachel knew. Not even Kurt knew the _whole _story, unless Berry had gone behind her back. She wouldn't put it past her. Despite their close relationship, Rachel really was a pain in the ass sometimes.

Brittany didn't look shocked or anything and it was worrying.

"Do you have a problem with me being gay?" she asked.

Brittany didn't respond in words. A loud laugh escaped her lips and she curled over, placing her own hand over her mouth. It was making Santana worse. Uncomfortable was an understatement for what she was feeling but it was something she was used to.

The soft hand on top of her knee was what calmed her down a bit.

"Oh sweetie, that would be rather hypocritical of me don't you think. I dated almost _everybody _back at my high school" Brittany said whilst continuing to pat Santana's knee.

The Latina took a deep breath to get rid of the butterflies in her stomach as she processed what her neighbour had just told her. Before she could think anymore, she was interrupted by her daughter, with Evie in tow behind her.

"Mommy, _Brittany's_ room is awesome and has unicorns all over it and I want mine to be just like that. Especially the bed because it's big and white and has stickers all over it and you know how much I like stickers and how much I like unicorns. It's like my dream room" Mia ranted and Santana looked apologetically at Brittany, sorry that her daughter had invaded her privacy.

"I'm sorry she went in y-" she began but Brittany shook her head.

"It's fine, unicorns _are _awesome!" she said, giving Mia a high five.

Santana was overwhelmed and in awe of this woman. She still found it adorable that Brittany's furniture was more childlike than her five year old little sister's. She found it awfully bizarre yet incredibly refreshing. It was completely new to her.

Definitely not the bad kind of new, though.

**Sorry, this probably doesn't make up for the long gap! **

**I hope you liked it though and I'd love a review! And don't worry, the drama isn't over quite yet :)**


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